Answered Questions

Interesting question! The best results seem to come from 2 databases, Sage Journals and ScienceDirect.

To find these articles, link to the Education LibGuide and click on the Articles tab.

Scroll down until you get to Sage Journals and click the link. Once in Sage, I suggest you try this search: college enrollment AND reasons. You could also try college enrollment AND motivation. On the search page, limit the results to the last 10 years. The results are similar, but not the same. Many of the articles are about barriers to enrollment, but some are broader, such as Social Identity as a Determinant of College Enrollment and Potholes on the Road to College: High School Effects in Shaping Urban Students’ Participation in College Application, Four-year College Enrollment, and College Match.  In this database, look for the phrase "Article Available" to the left of the title to know that you have access to the full text.

Next, I suggest you try ScienceDirect, listed on the Articles tab of the LibGuide immediately below Sage. The same searches will work here. Again, you can limit the results to the last 10 years on the search page. Here you'll see articles such as Out of Work and Into School: Labor Market Policies and College Enrollment During the Great Recession and The impact of the promise of scholarships and altering school structure on college plans, preparation, and enrollment. In this database, look for a little green and white box to the right of the title to know that you have access to the full text.

Some results can also be found in ProQuest Education Journals and in Academic Search Complete. They are in the same list of databases.

Another way to approach this question is by exploring "persistence" - the ability to stick with college and finish the degree. Searching college AND persistence and motivation will help you to discover why students stay in college. That may also help your research.

Good luck, and thanks for asking!